IL23204A - Method and installation for moving and disposing loads into and from a multi-storey building having radially arranged accommodating spaces - Google Patents

Description

" Method and installation for moving and disposing loads into and from a multi-storey building having radially arranged aeeonmodatiag spaoes" n3aa †7O0 tmaai nttnV ns yei ηβ*»» ππ3π o»nvv& i σ*ρ man n »ip * ya naaaoi ■ »*R»n jsiea o»vn oan This invention relates to a method and installation for moving and disposing loads into and from multi-storey buildings having radially arranged accommodating spaces for receiving the loads with the aid of a rotatable lifting means.

Tower garages are known in which the chambers for accommodating the motor vehicles are arranged in ring form around a lift or elevator, which carries a rotatable platform. This platform enables an adjustment of the vehicles to such a position that it can move along a straight line into a free accommodating chamber or from the platform out of the building. The known lifts or elevators are generally operated by means of ropes and require a continual maintenance and supervision because the useful life of the wire ropes is relatively short for safety reasons. The wire ropes are subjected to wear because they are continually subjected to bending stress when moving around the rope pulleys. The use of large diameter rope pulleys can prolong the life of the rope but cannot eliminate the wear. Besides, relatively large rope pulleys cannot be used in most cases owing to a lack of space. Lifts or elevators operated by ropes have also the disadvantages that their drive means has a height which corresponds approximately to one storey of the building so that the lift or elevator can move only to the storey next below the uppermost storey if the drive means is mounted in the uppermost storey of the building, or the building requires an additional superstructure, which protrudes above the uppermost storey and serves for accommodating the drives means for the lift or elevator. The known lifts or elevators o erated b ro es involve difficulties also if an adjustment of the lift to any desired level is required, particularly because the length of the ropes varies in the course of operation and in dependence on the instantaneous load.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an installation which enables a much simpler design and more economical operation of storehouses or warehouses, tower garages and the like buildings. The term "building" includes all kinds of three-dimensional structures above and below the ground level, including frameworks of any desired size.

The invention consists in a method of moving and disposing loads into and from a multi-storey building having radially arranged accommodating spaces for receiving the loads with the aid of a rotatable lifting means trherby automatical installations move the loads in a centripetal direction or a direction parallel thereto on the lifting means and after alignment to the desired accommodating spaces from said lifting means in which the load is lifted and lowered respectively, by means of a helical movement and simultaneously brought into alignment with the respective space.

The invention also consists in an .installation for carrying out the method set forth, in the preceding para- . graph comprising a nulti-storey building having lifting means and annularly arranged accommodating spaces, in which the accommodating spaces are arranged on a helix, each of said spaces being provided with a horizontal floor, the lifting means being movable by wheels or rollers on a Whereas in the known methods lifting means with rot-atable platforms are used which due to their ability to rotate can be turned into the desired position, according to the invention the movements of lifting, lowering and turning respectively, are superimposed such that the load automatically is brought in the necessary radial position when the level of the accommodating space has been reached. The movement in the centrifugal direction for transferring the load to the accommodating space can be executed immed-iately as well the feeding of the load to the lifting means can be done immediately before the transporting and disposing operation.

The steps of the method can be chosen such that firstly a load is fed in centrifugal direction to an annu-lar lifting means, that said means then is lifted and lowered, respectively, whereby the load automatically is aligned and thereafter moved in a centripetal direction. The application of the method as to whether the loads are moved from a round lifting means to an annularly accommod-ating space or from an annularly lifting means into a round accommodating space depends on whether a large accommodating space is preferred or whether the lifting and aligning operations must be executed in a time saving way„ In the first mentioned case the loads are disposed outside, in the last mentioned case the loads are disposed inside the helical path of the lifting means.

The method can be varied in different ways, i.e. the loads can be fed in a centripetal direction to an annular lifting means and can be moved further after the lifting and aligning operation in the same centripetal direction to the accommodating space within the buildinge Loads can be received and classified simultaneously in several layers one upon another or respectively side by side in that separate loads being transferred to the lift-ing means at different positions are transferred to other locations within the same building, whereby the said loads are moved back thereafter to their original locations by reversing the operations and moving directions. It is understood that hereby the different loads can be arranged different from that used in the prior operation.

The helical path supporting the lifting means can be arranged along the inside or the outside edge of the annular lifting means depending on whether high working speed, due to short distance along the inside path, is required or whether a manifold assortment and a high carrying capacity due to a small pitch of the path and a longer lifting distance along the outside edge is desired.

When a movement of the load in unison with the rotary movement of the lifting means is not desired, the lifting means may comprise a top member, which is subjected to a rotation opposed to the rotation of the lifting means. The opposed rotation of the top member may be performed at such an angular speed that the mass actions offset each other to a large extent. This enables a sudden stoppage of the appa-ratus almost from a full-speed motion. Such a stoppage is not permissible with lifts or elevators operated by ropes in view of the resiliency of the rope. On the other hand, substantial saving of time is made possible by the elimination of the decelerating phase, in which the movement is When the high-speed vertical movement and the opposed rotary movements, e.g.. at the same angular speed, have been performed and the desired level has been reached, it is required to rotate the load to the desired radial direction. To enable this rotation, the drive means for the ■ lifting means and its top member may be controlled independently of each other. This has the advantage that loads can be carried between accommodating spaces disposed on the same level. In this case the top member serves as a turntable , For the accommodation of vehicles or of loads on wheels, e.g., of shelves provided with wheels or rollers, the method is suitably carried out so that the vehicles or other loads are centripetally supplied and the wheels disposed towards the axis of rotation are gripped and lifted by the gripper of drive means operating on the top member of the lifting means, after which the vehicle or the other load is moved onto the lifting means while rolling on its rear wheels and when having reached the accommodating space is moved into the same in the same way.

At least one drive means operating in a direction which is radial, or parallel to a diameter, may be provided on the top member of the lifting means, and this drive means may be provided with vertically adjustable grippers, so that vehicles or other wheeled loads of different gauges may be automatically hauled in and placed on the associated parking places, and may be subsequently delivered by reversing the operations. A plurality of such drive means may be arranged one behind or beside each other in the direction of a diameter or in a direction parallel to a diameter or may operate in two directions offset by 180 » The latter arrangement will be used in most cases because it enables, e.g., in garages, an operation without operators. This second gripper is initially in reserve. Where as the various drive means for the lifting means may be provided with reserve motors having separate, second circuits, a corresponding arrangement for the grlppers can be provided only with difficulty or cannot be provided at all in view of the restricted space available. The wear of the grippers, however, is greater than that of the relatively robust lifting means and its drive means. The provision of the second gripper, which operates in a direction offset by 180° and which performs the functions of the first gripper should this fail, ensures a smooth con-tinuous operation even when drive means fail during times of heavy loading. In the last-mentioned arrangement of the grippers, the drive means for the rotatable top member of the lifting means is preferably connected so that the top member is rotated through 180° when the devices are switched to the reserve drive means.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to several embodiments shown by the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a vertical axial sectional view showing a building designed to carry out the method, Figure 2 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on line II-II in Figure 1, Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a detail of Figure 2, Figure is an axial sectional view showing the top member of the liftin means a d ad acent or n o "building with a vehicle which is on the lifting means immediately before the end or beginning of a conveying operation* Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4- and shows the condition after the lifting of the front wheels of the vehicle .

Figure 6 is a side elevation showing the arrangement of Figure 5· Figure 7 is a plan view showing the overall arrange-ment.

Figure 8 is an axial sectional view showing the helical tracked: supporting the running gear of the lifting means.

Figure 9 is a top plan view showing a modified building for carrying out the method.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 showing a building provided with an annular lifting means.

Figures 11 - 13 show further embodiments of the invention.

The building shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a hollow cylindrical well 1 , which is defined by a helix 2, This helix forms the flat floors of accommodating chambers 12, which are defined by radial walls 3 , 4-, as is apparent from Figure 2. As shown in Figure 8, the edge of the helix 2 forms the helical track 5 for the wheels 6 of a frame 7» which constitutes the base of a platform 8 forming the top member of the entire lifting means 7 j 8, Rollers or wheels 9 are provided between the frame 7 and the top member 8 of the lifting means and carry the top member 8. Motors 10 enable a rotary movement of the platform 8 opposite to the angular speed. The wheels or rollers of the frame 7 are driven by motors 11 . The motors 10 and 11 are suitably provided with sliding armature brakes so that the lifting means may be stopped quickly and held on the desired level. As is shown in Figure 2, the accommodating chambers for the motor vehicles, which chambers are defined by the walls 3, are radially arranged and apart from their different radial directions have the same configuration and arrangement. Only the receiving chambers 13 and the deli-very chambers 1 are different. The receiving chamber 13 contains means for enforcing an exactly centred orientation of the incoming vehicles. As is shown on an enlarged scale in Figure 35 the means comprise spring-cushioned cheeks 15 - 18, which have outside surfaces engaged by the springs 19 ' - 221 The cheeks define receiving spaces tapering like a wedge so that the successively incoming front and rear wheels are displaced until the spring forces are balanced when the centre line of the vehicles is aligned with the centre line of the chamber 13 · Figures 4 - 7 show that the drive means 19 with the protruding gripper 20 is movable on wheels on the lifting means. A motor 21 serves for lifting the front portion of the gripper, which can thus te&SHB be pivotally moved upwardly or back into the horizontal position shown in Figure 4. Figure 6 shows that the gripper has laterally extending arms 22, 23, which grip the front wheels 24, 25 of the vehicle 26 to be accommodated, whereas the rear wheels 27, 28 remain on the floor 2 of the chamber 13« A motor 29 mounted on the drive means 19 is capable of displacing the drive means 19 with platform 8 so that the vehicle 26 is also moved onto the platform 8. On the side opposite to the gripper 20, the drive means 19 comprises another gripper 50 having forks 31 , 3 so that the drive means 19 can he moved across the platform 8 throughout its diameter, the platform 8 can be rotated through 180° and the gripper 30 can now replace the gripper 20 if the same has failed.

The motor 33 effects the spreading of the forks 22, 23, which serve for gripping the front wheels. The motor 3 effects the traverse of the gripper inside the drive means 19, as may be required for matching the dimensions of the building to those of the vehicle or for a change to a different direction of operation of the gripper. A second drive means could be movable on wheels on the plat-form 8 in the direction of the same diameter on which the drive means 19 is movable. The direction of movement of the drive means 19 need not be exactly aligned with a diameter. Different drive means may be arranged to be moved on wheels one beside the other in directions which extend parallel to a diameter of -the platform 8.

As soon as the motor vehicle 26 has been moved in described manner onto the top member 8, the motors 11, 10 are started to move the top member 8 along the helix 2 until the vehicle 26 is on the level of a selected free accommodating chamber 12. At this time the motors 10 may be started again whereas the motors 11 remain stopped.

The motors 10 rotate the top member 8 to the position in which the vehicle 26 is in register with the selected accommodating chamber 12. Immediately thereafter the s the vehicle is moved into the accommodating chamber, the motor 21 then lowers the gripper 20» The motors 29 are subsequently started again to retract the drive means 19 onto the top member 8. The motors 11 of the wheeled frame are then started to lower the top member until the parts 7 » 8 have reached the position shown in Figure 1 , in which a new vehicle can be received. Before receiving a new vehicle 26, the lifting means 7, 8 may be moved to a vehicle to be delivered and may pick up this vehicle and move it into the chamber 14, from which the vehicle is moved by its own power. After a vehicle has moved into the aligning device 15 - 22, all movements of the vehicle are effected without operation of the vehicle motor.

Figure 9 shows that the cross-section of the building need not be circular but accommodating chambers 35» 36 of larger depth may be provided.

Figure 10 shows an embodiment in which the building has a central multi-storey core 37 and an annular lifting means 38. Whon the latter is in a suitable position on the platform level, the loads may be transferred to or from vehic3.es 39 · In the embodiment shown in Figure 11 , the annular lifting means 38 of Figure 10 is replaced by segmentlike lifting means 40, 41, 42, which are movable on wheels on a common helix 43.

The same arrangement is embodied in the building shown in Figure 2, with the difference that the partitioning of the storey 44 differs from the partitioning of the storey 45 of Figure 11 .

Figure 13 shows a building in which the annular lift- > ing means 46, 47 has two decks. The helix has the reference number 48.

Any operations which are performed may "be automatically and, if desired, simultaneously controlled. Limit switches exactly matched to the various positions of the lifting means, its base and top members, the drive means etc., ensure that each motor will be de-energized when the corresponding end position has been reached, and that the motor will be energized to effect the subsequent movement. As a result, operatives are not required in the building so that much less stringent regulations regarding structural safety, fire safety, and accident prevention are applicable. When the vehicle has moved into the chamber 3» the driver uses a bank of keyholes or revolving plugs coupled to electrical switches. The number of these keyholes corresponds to the number of parking places in the building. Keys are contained in keyholes associated with free parking places. The Driver rotates one of these keys to a stop. Then the key can be pulled* The parking of the car is then effected automatically by the operations which have been described.

An electronic control device determines whether the lifting means 7, 8 is to return to an intermediate or selected waiting position or is to move to a car to be delivered. In the latter case, the lifting means picks up this car and delivers it in the chamber 14. When the driver of the vehicle considered first wants the same to be delivered, he will insert the key kept by him into the corresponding keyhole. This will initiate an automatic operation of the lifcing means 7» 8 to pick up the vehicle and deliver it in It is inherent in the nature of the invention that pre fabricated elements of construction made from steel, sheet steel, reinforced or pre-stressed concrete may be used "because the building consists maxnly of identical elements of construction. As the construction of the building similar to a staircase proceeds from bottom to top, the lifting means may be incorporated when one storey has been completed. This lifting means will then carry the prefabricated parts to the respective working level so that it is not necessary to use heavy building cranes having a large swing range. During the erection, a further lifting gear, e.g., in the form of a tripod provided with a jib arm, may be fixedly mounted on the lifting means. This lifting gear may be arranged to reach all exposed parts of the building and to place even large prefabricated parts.

The provision of working platforms under the lifting means enables entirely new methods for the lining of shafts in mines with prefabricated parts. In this case a helical descent may be adopted to line the shaft walls continuously with prefabricated elements of construction, which correspond to the pitch of the helix or to fractional parts of said pitch. If the lifting means is vertically supported against the track also from underneath by backing rollers or wheels during the sinking of a mine shaft, so that the lifting means is almost rigidly gripped, stiffening claws provided with hydraulic jacks may be pivotally moved out from the bottom of the lifting means, which bottom is disposed below the track. These stiffening claws prevent a caving in of the wall of the shaft in the working region. Digging implements and digging machines may be mounted on the bottom of the lifting means . As the plan outline of the lifting means corresponds to the necessarily round cross-sectional shape of the shaft and the space previously required for guide rods , safety catch rails and the like is no longer required, the shaft may be smaller in diameter so that the sinking costs are reduced for this reason and because the pithead frame is eliminated. Another advantage resides in that the pithead buildings may be mounted directly over the shaft . The danger of a fall of the lifting means is also much reduced. Emergency cages may be kept in readiness for underground rescue operations and may be moved quickly into the shaft when needed. Finally, a shaft may receive a plurality of cage s , which travel simultaneously in parallel vertical directions .

This mode of operation, which is comparable to the rapid sequence of railway trains , and the consequent reduction in costs and increase in performance , are unique in mine operations . The same advantages aie afforded by the invention in the construction of inclined ducts and in tunneling. parucii r . y c ^er-i! cd a nd ascertained the nature of my/our . i d inv, , , ;i „

Claims (1)

► 1. A method of moving and disposing loads into and from a multi-storey building having radially arranged accommodating spaces for receiving the loads with the aid of a rotatable lifting means whereby automatical instal- radial lations move the loads in a etfi-aaaajpai-Bi direction or a direction parallel thereto on the lifting means and after alignment to the desired accommodating spaces from said lifting means in which the load is lifted and lowered respectively, by means of a helical movement and simultaneously brought into alignment with the respective space. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which a top member on the lifting means carries the load and during the rotation of the lifting means is rotated in the opposite sense. 3. A method as claimed in claims 1 or 2, in which during the movement of loads consisting of vehicles their wheels are moved first onto the lifting means and are gripped and lifted, after which the vehicle is moved onto the lifting raeans while rolling on its rear wheels and when having reached the accommodating space is moved into the same in the same way. 4. An installation for carrying out the method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, comprising a multi-storey building having lifting means and annularly arranged accommodating spaces, in which the accommodating spaces are arranged on a helix, each of said spaces being provided with a horizontal floor, the lifting means being movable "by wheels or rollers on a helical track. 5. An installation as claimed in claim 4, in which the rollers or wheels of the lifting means are connected to drive means. 6. An installation as claimed in claims 4 or 5) in which the lifting means is guided by rollers or wheels, which are rotatable about horizontal and vertical axes. 7. An installation as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, comprising a cylindrical well, which accommodates the lifting means, annularly surrounded by the accommodating spaces, in which the tracks for the lifting means are arranged on those edges of the accommodating spaces which adjoin the well. 8. An installation as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, in which the lifting means has the shape of a ring or of a segment of a ring and surrounds a centrally arranged, cylindrical multi~storey core of the building. 9. An installation as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, in which the helical track is provided on the outside periphery of the multi-storey core of the building. 10. An installation as claimed in any of claims 4 to 9, comprising apparatus which is effective in a radial direction or a direction parallel thereto to move loads onto and from the lifting means, in which the installation serves for accommodating vehicles in a garage and the apparatus comprises a vertically adjustable gripper, which lifts the front wheels of the vehicle to be moved. 11. An installation as claimed in any of claims 4 to 10, in which the lifting means is provided with means which bear vertically from below on the track. 11, in which the rotatable lifting means comprises a rotatable platform which is adapted to be driven by a driving means having a rotational speed equal to that of the lifting means but in a contrary direction. 13. A method of moving and disposing loads into and from a multi-storey building, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1. . An installation for carrying out the method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown by the accompanying drawings. ASMS FOR mi&GMT Tel-Aviv, dated this 22th day of axoh, 19&5· PB.VW. -17-